Adjustable partition for drawers



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. GONANT. ADJUSTABLE PARTITION FOR DRAWERS.

No. 560,893 Patented May 26, 1896.

(No Model.) 7 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. 00mm. ADJUSTABLE PARTITION FOB. DRAWERS. No. 560,893. Patented May26, 1896.

QUEEN; as F LU'IIIERCONANT, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS.

ADJUSTABLE PARTITION FOR DRAWERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 560,893, dated May 26,1896.

Application filed November 5, 1895. Serial No. 567,981- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LUTHER OONANT, of Oak Park, Illinois, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Partitions forDrawers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an adjustable partition which can be employedto divide drawers or boxes into compartments; and the object of theinvention is to provide a simple and cheap form of construction by whichthe interior of a drawer can be readily subdivided to form tills,spaces, or compartments.

In carrying out my invention I employ a sectional partition composed oftwo flat pieces of metal, wood, or other suitable material, saidsections being overlapped and pivotally and adjust-ably connectedtogether, so that they may be employed in drawers of diiferent widthsand also to enable them to be fastened in place, as hereinafterdescribed. I prefer to construct these sections of sheet metal and toprovide each of the sections.

with integral barbs or prongs and to pivot the said sections together,so that by placing the sections in proximate positions, but in angularposition with reference to each other, and then forcing their overlappedends together, the barbs may be made to embed themselves in the sides ofthe drawer, and thereby fix the partition in place. These partitionsections may be made of metal plates having their edges seamed andinclosing wires provided with barbs and pivoted together, so that theyswing in a plane at right angles to the bottom of the drawer when beinginserted or they may be made of metal plates, the inner ends beingprovided with tongues adapted to enter apertures in the bodies of theplates and the parts being adjusted by swinging them in a plane parallelto the bottom of the drawer. Both forms of construction are shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view showinga drawer with the partitions in place. Fig. 2 is a plan view, and Fig. 3a sectional elevation, of the drawer, showing two forms of partitionsand their method of application. Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detail views ofthe metal partitions with wires forming the barbs, and

Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of the partitions having interlockingtongues and slots.

In the drawings, and referring particularly first to Figs. 4, 5, and 6,let 1O 11 represent two light sheet-metal plates having their edges 12hemmed or turned over and inclosing wires which project at the outerends of the sections to furnish barbs 13. The wires at the bottom edgesmay also be extended and turned downwardly to form the barbs or prongs14, and oneof the upper wires may be extended to form a pivot-pin 15.One or both of the plates is provided with a series of apertures 16, inwhich the pivot-pin 15 may be inserted, as shown particularly in Figs.3, 5, and 6. \Vhen thus inserted, the two parts may be adjusted in theangular position shown in Fig. 3 and placed transversely to the sides ofadrawer, as shown in said figure, and then by forcing the overlappedends downwardly until the parts are brought into line, as seen in Fig.5, the prongs 14 may be made to enter the bottom of the drawer, whilethe end prongs may be forced into the wood of the side pieces of thedrawer, and thus firmly secure the partition in place. In order tofirmly lock the members of the partition together, I may use the clasp17,

(shown in Figs. 5 and 6,) or a simple pin may be inserted through thetwo registering apertures of the plates, as indicated at 18, Fig. 1.Said partition members may also be provided with two or more apertures19, arranged in the same vertical plane and adapted to receive prongsupon the partition 20, arranged transversely to the adjustablepartitions before described and parallel to the sides of the drawer, asindicated in Fig. 1.

A slightly-modified construction is shown in Figs. 2, 7, and 8 of thedrawings. I11 said construction two plates, (marked 21 22,) which may beof wood or metal, are provided with tongues, the plate 21 having asingle tongue 23 and the plate 22 having two shorter tongues 24. Theplate 21 will be provided with a series of apertures 25 to receivethetongues 24, while the plate 22 will be provided with a se ries ofapertures 26 to receive the tongue 23. Then these plates are made ofsheet metal, they may be provided with integral prongs 27, and whenplacing them the tongues 24 may be inserted in the apertures 25 and thetwo partition-sections arranged at an angle to each other with theirouter or barbed ends in the proper position with reference to the sidewalls and bottom of the drawer, and then by bringing said plates intoparallelism, as shown at the right of Fig. 2, the barbs will be forcedinto the sides of the drawer and the two parts may be locked together byenterin g the tongue 23 in one of the apertures 26. Of course thesepartitions may be put in either crosswise or endwise of the drawer, andmay be combined with other partitions extending at right angles thereto,the same as shown in Fig. 1. When the plates are made of wood, they maybe provided with metal prongs or barbs inserted in the ends thereof.

In both forms of construction the plates are so connected together thatthey act as a toggle for forcing the barbs home into the sides of thedrawer, and the principle of operation is therefore the same in both andmight be embodied in still other forms of construction. This being true,it is obvious that my invention in its broadest scope is presentwherever the two members constituting the adjustable and removablepartition are so pivoted together that they will provide a toggle bymeans of which they may be secured in position. Obviously the pivotalconnection may be made at other points than as herein indicated, and, infact, at any point above the lower edges of the plate suflicient tosecure the necessary leverage to force the barbs into place.

While I have described and shown rigid barbs, these adjustablepartition-pieces may be held in place by forcing their ends tightlyagainst the sides of the drawer, and this can be accomplished by meansof the toggle arrangement above described and the barbs may be dispensedwith.

I claim 1. An adjustable and removable partition for drawers and thelike, comprising two plates having their ends overlapped and adj ustablyand pivotally connected together whereby they are adapted to serve astoggles in forcing the ends of the partition-pieces into engagement withthe sides of the drawer with means for holding the plates in position,substantially as described.

2. An adjustable partition for drawers and the like, comprising incombination two plates having their ends overlapped and pivotallyconnected together, barbs or prongs 011 the outer ends of said plates,and means for rigidly securing the overlapped ends of the plates whenbrought into alinement, substan tially as described.

3. An adjustable partition for drawers, comprisin gin combination twoplates having aseries of apertures therein, projecting prongs or barbson the outer ends of said plates, means for pivotally connecting theinner ends of said plates in an overlapped position and while thesections are in an angular position with reference to each other, andmeans for securing said plates against movement after they are broughtinto parallel alinement, substantially as described.

l. An adjustable partition for drawers, consistin g of two plates havingwires inclosed by seams on the margins of said plates, said wiresprojecting at the outer ends of said plates and pointed to providebarbs, the two lower wires having their two inner ends downwardlyprojected and inwardly turned to provide barbs, one of the upper wireshaving its inner end extended to provide a pivot and each of the plateshaving a horizontal series of perforations, substantially as and for thepurpose described.

5. An adjustable partition for drawers and the like, comprising incombination two plates having their ends overlapped and pivotallyconnected together, each provided with a horizontal series ofperforations for the passage of pivoting and securing devices and one ormore of said plates provided with a vertical series of perforations toreceive the fastenings, for cross-partitions, substantially asdescribed.

6. An adjustable partition for drawers and the like, comprising incombination two plates having their ends overlapped and pivotallyconnected together and a clamp or clasp adapted to embrace the edges ofthe overlapped ends when the plates are brought into parallelism,substantially as described.

LUTHER CONANT.

\Vitnesses:

(J. O. LINTHIOUM, L. F. MOOREA.

